By MIKE FLETCHER
Despite being convicted and sentenced to 150 years in prison in 2003 for child molest and incest, Steve Thomas maintained his innocence.
Now, seven years later, Thomas, 54, is a free man.
After serving only six years of the term, Thomas was released in May 2009 after new evidence in the case prompted Howard Circuit Court Judge Lynn Murray to grant post-conviction relief and overturn the conviction.
Instead of going through a second jury trial, Thomas elected to plead guilty to C felony neglect of a dependent resulting in bodily injury.
He was sentenced to serve eight years in prison Wednesday as part of that plea and was released with time served.
Howard County Prosecutor James Fleming filed the new charge and agreed to the plea in light of new evidence that resulted in the overturned conviction. The victim, who now is grown and lives out of state, also consented to the plea, Fleming said.
The victim testified during the first trial that Thomas molested her and made her perform sex acts on numerous occasions from 1996 to 2001. She was 7 years old at the time the alleged molestation began, according to court records.
Throughout the case, Thomas has denied the accusations but did not testify at his trial.
The jury also heard corroborating evidence from Dr. Radcliffe Jones, who testified that photographs of a sexual assault examination by Dr. Chuck Sprague indicated intercourse had occurred.
That evidence was contradicted in two post-conviction relief hearings July 11, 2008, and Feb. 12, 2009, by two physicians who testified that Jones erred in his examination of photographs depicting the abuse.
• Mike Fletcher is the Kokomo Tribune crime reporter. He can be reached at 765-454-8565 or mike.fletcher@kokomotribune.com.
